Piano-forte action



(No Model.)

W. ROHLFING, Jr. PIANO FORTE ACTION.

No. 457,590. Patented Aug. 11,1891.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM ROHLFING, JR, OF MILXVAUKEE, VISCONSIN.

PIANO-FORTE ACTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 457,590, dated August 11, 1891.

Application filed February 26, 1891. Serial No. 382,898- (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM ROHLFING,J1'., of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Piano-Forte Actlons, of which the followingis aspecification.

My lnvention relates to an improvement in piano-forte act-ions, more particularly to a pedal for sustaining the tone of one or more notes which have been struck without interfering with or modifying the tones of other notes which may be struck while the tonesustaining pedal is in action.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, in w hich Figure 1 is a View of a part of a piano-forte action in end elevation, and Fig. 2 is a view of the same in rear elevation.

A represents the hammer-rail, provided along its top with the damper-flange a, in which the damper-levers B are pivotally secured. The hammer-butts O are pivoted to suitable supports D, fixed to the upper portion of the hammer-rail A, the said hammer-butts be ng provided, as is usual, with therods 0, carrying upon outer ends the hammer-heads c. The hammer-butts are providedwith extended heels 0 against which the checks E act, the latter being fixed in the forward ends of the ack-bottoms F. The jack-bottoms F are pivotally secured to the jack-flange G and carry the jacks H, pivotally secured to suitable supports it thereon. The jack-bottoms are here provided on their rear ends with arms 9, the ends of which engage the lower ends of the damper-1e vers and serve, when the j ackbottom is operated by the action of the key, to tilt the damper-levers, and hence the damper-heads (1, carried by the levers, backwardly out of contact with the string I as the hammer comes forward to strike it.

The several parts of the action as thus far described may be of any well-known or approved construction, and the several parts by means of which the jack-bottoms, the jacks, and the checks are stopped and returned, and of which particular mention is not made herein, may be of ordinary construction and arrangement. A rock-bar K, provided with an upwardly-projected flange is, rounded on its rear side, as shown at it, is mounted in suitable bearings L at the rear of the lower ends of the damper-levers B, and is provided at one end with a crank it", (shown in the present instance in the form of a staple,) by means of which the bar K may be rocked through a connecting rod orbar Z, engaged atone end with the crank and at the opposite end with a pedal l. The position of the bar K relatively to the lower ends of the damper-levers is such that when it is rocked in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 the ends of the levers will swing freely back and forth overit; but if the bar be turned into the position shown in full lines, Fig. 1, while the lower end of the damper-lever is swung rearwardly and the damperhead out of contact with the string the flange on the bar will engage the lower end of the damper-lever and prevent it from returning into contact with the string when the key and hammer return to their normal position. In the present instance I have shown the lower ends of the damperlevers as provided with arms M, fixed at their upper ends to the levers and provided at their lower ends with felted heads m, with which the flange kon the bar K engages, instead of with the lower ends of the body portion of the damper-levers B. Then the bar K is rocked into the position to hold one or more of the damper-levers with their heads away from the string, there will still be sufiicient room for the full play of the lower ends of such damper-levers as are not held, because of the butt portion of the bar K being cut away in front of the flange 70, so as to allow the end of the lever to swing over it.

I have omitted to show in the present drawings the usual bar operated by the ordinary loud pedal of a piano-forte, so as to swing the lower ends of all of the damper-levers rearwardly and hold their heads away from the strings; but it is to be understood that such bar may be employed and located and operated as usual.

By the above-described pedal-action I am enabled to sustain the tone of any one or more of the notes or strings which have been struck by simply operating the pedal Z, and thereby rocking the bar K, while the keys are still held depressed, and while such tones are snstained the remaining notes may be manipnlated in the same manner as though the sustained tones were not in action.

hat I claim is 1. The combination, with the damper-levers and means for operating them, of a rock-bar provided with a projection adapted to engage the lower ends of the damper-levers when they are thrown into position to throw the damper-heads out of contact with the strings, the body of said bar and the projection thereon being out of the path of the damper-levers not held, and means for rocking the said bar at pleasure and thereby locking and releasing the damper-levers, substantially as set forth.

2. Thecombination,withthedamper-levers and means for operating them, the said damper-levers being provided with yielding said bar and the projection thereon being out of the path of the damper-levers not held, and means for operating the bar at pleasure to hold one or more of the dampers out of contact with the strings and release them, substantially as set forth.

WM. ROHLFIN Jr, JR. \Vit-nesses:

KATE REDFIELD, ED ARD W. FROST. 

